Swarming Season, Everything you Need to Know Before the Termites Show Up

Termites are one of the most expensive pests to deal with. Causing more than $5 Billion in damages each year, the termite burrows into the wood in your home’s structure and digs tunnels through the wood, eating and building nests as it compromises the integrity of your home. If they make it into your structure, you may have to get a new roof, replace sections of your walls, or outdoor decking.

Termites also like to swarm. At certain times of the year, the termites will fly around en masse, looking for new sources of food and new breeding grounds to build up more nests.

Swarming Ants vs Swarming Termites

They look similar, but they are not the same bug. Termites are leaner, lighter in color, and slightly smaller than swarming ants. They are all unsettling to see and both species can cause damage to your home. Swarming ants are usually carpenter ants and they can do plenty of damage to wood around your home as well. If you see flying insect swarming, it is a good idea to call your local pest control specialist to prevent damage to your home.

Alates

When a termite colony is ready to reproduce, there are a few different types of termites involved. One of the types is the Alate. This is the one that flies. They are winged reproducers whose sole purpose is to fly away from the colony and start new ones. When the swarming season starts, these little guys are what you see everywhere.

Only older colonies can afford to create alates. It takes a great deal of resources to produce this type of termite and most young colonies cannot manage the effort.

Spring and Sometimes Fall

Termite swarms are heavily weather dependent. It is important that it be warm enough and wet enough to support the winged reproducers in finding a new place to set up shop. Typically, the swarms begin in the south in the spring and work their way north with swarming happening sometimes into the summer months.

Read about Preventing Termites here

An Ounce of Prevention, Termite Edition

Swarms Don’t Always Cause Damage

It is a catch 22, but breathe a little easier for a moment. Termite swarms are only seeking out new colony locations and they are not necessarily looking to set up in your home. Termites are ground dwelling and they like moist soil close to ample food sources.

The swarm itself is not the problem, but what comes after. These bugs fill the air and will get into your home, but what you want to happen is that they die when they get there so they never have the opportunity to set up a new colony. It is a common misconception to think that the bugs that are swarming are reporting back to their colony.

Protect Your Home

Keep termite food sources away from your home. You don’t want to to extend an invitation. Use termiticides to hit termites where they hurt and kill them off quickly before they have a chance to reproduce and build new colonies. Be sure to limit access to your home by sealing cracks and gaps also.

One of the easiest and best ways to protect your home is to call a professional. Give Skeeter Force a chance to help you prevent termites on your property.

Call us to get a quote today!

Swarming Season, Everything you Need to Know Before the Termites Show Up